SEC Network landed its biggest fish Friday, announcing a long-term carriage deal with the country’s biggest distributor. Comcast will carry the channel at its Aug. 14 launch on its expanded basic tier within SEC territory and digital basic outside of it. Sources say the channel’s rate card is at $1.40 per subscriber per month within the SEC’s 11-state footprint and $0.25 per month outside of it.

That ain’t exactly chump change. It’s likely that DirecTV isn’t far behind, either. All in all, it sounds like the SEC is having a smoother rollout of its broadcast operation than either the Big Ten or the Pac-12 had. And that may be the result of a deliberate tactical decision Slive and the presidents made. They don’t own the SEC Network outright, as the Pac-12 owns its. Nor are they the controlling end of a partnership like the Big Ten is. Instead, the conference has elected to maintain the role of content provider and leave production in the hands of ESPN.

What’s gained by that? A shitload of leverage.

The Comcast deal also includes TV Everywhere rights, allowing for live streaming of the channel on Xfinity TV Go and WatchESPN (John Ourand, Staff Writer). FOXSPORTS.com’s Clay Travis noted news that DirecTV is close to a deal is “square with the private comments of SEC and ESPN executives, who are confident that a deal is near as well.” DirecTV’s negotiations with SEC Network “are part of a larger negotiation with the other ESPN networks.”

In other words, if you want to carry ESPN – and if you’re a distributor, that’s not really a choice – you’d best resign yourself to finding a niche in your product line for the SEC Network. The good thing is that if you play ball, ESPN has plenty of extra sweeteners to toss in the pot for you. And that’s basically what’s happening.

With the Comcast deal in place, an agreement with DirecTV “would mean that every major cable and satellite company — excluding Time Warner, which has remained fairly quiet so far — would carry the SEC Network.” It also would allow ESPN and the SEC to “hit their goal of roughly 75 million cable and satellite subscribers at launch.”

That’s an easier sell with ESPN on your side than without. (Note that “DirecTV, which has more than 20 million subscribers, carries the Big Ten Network but not the Pac 12 Network.”)

The SEC took a more conservative approach to establishing its broadcast arm than its predecessors. And while it may be hard to say whether that’s a decision it’ll come to regret down the road if having more control equals greater profitability, at present it’s probably more valuable to get the sign ups done as smoothly as possible.

You’re the commissioner of a power conference. You and your peers have bleated steadily over the past few months about how player treatment has to be the number one concern of schools and the NCAA. You’ve sacredly intoned that one of the keystones of collegiate sports is that athletics don’t trump academics. Student-athletes, you acknowledge, deserve time of their own.

And yet this is all you’ve got to say about a specific issue.

Swofford on the NCAA 20-hour rule: "That's being abused. We know that."

You guys know I’m loathe to delve into the world of player commitments, but in light of Todd Gurley’s comment that “We don’t get the Alabama, big, country 6-5, 320” offensive linemen types, I can’t help but take note of Ben Cleveland’s announcement last night that intends to take his services to the University of Georgia. Right now, Ben’s services are somewhere in the neighborhood of… well, 6-5, 320.

That’s scary impressive enough, but then there’s this.

Just a reminder. 5-star OL Ben Cleveland, at 6-foot-7, 322lbs, is still only 15 y/o. Turns 16 on August 23. Watched him bench 415 recently.

Quote Of The Day

“It's definitely different not knowing exactly who it's gonna be, but in a way, I feel like that's good,” he said. “One of my old coaches from Valdosta told me that competition is one of the best coaches. And I feel like, as well as each one of those three guys is performing, they're not gonna do anything but make each other better.” -- Jay Rome, The Red & Black, 3/25/15